The quiet heroes: BanglaCAT powers battle against COVID-19 in Bangladesh

The outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has left Bangladesh reeling from an unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis.

As the outbreak intensified over time, the government suspended all non-essential businesses, especially ones that require an in-person workforce, in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus.

BanglaCAT, the largest contributor in Bangladesh's electric power generation sector, has nevertheless been operating during the shutdown as an essential business. It is providing critical support to the healthcare, pharmaceutical and all other relevant industries that are keeping the country safe and healthy.

In doing so, the service support team of BanglaCAT, comprising of highly-skilled engineers and competent technicians, are constantly on the move, attending calls and making themselves available at sites, whenever and wherever necessary, despite the obvious risks.

It’s a daunting task, both morally and physically, to keep providing the required assistance at this moment of crisis. Yet, their tireless efforts are going a long way to ensuring that our healthcare system never runs out of power in its battle against the deadly COVID-19.

BanglaCAT, with its nationwide service support system, is walking an extra mile now to safeguard the country’s best interests by supporting the healthcare streams so that it can continue operating without a hitch.

Nevertheless, as part of Caterpillar’s global dealers’ network, BanglaCAT is following all appropriate physical distancing and safety measures in line with the global standard of World Health Organisation (WHO) while performing and conducting jobs at sites.

“BanglaCAT continues to provide service support to essential facilities while adhering to the international health and safety standard and government order,” the company's Chief Product Support Officer Ruhul Amin told bdnews24.com.

The health, safety and well-being of the company's employees remains a top priority for BanglaCAT.

“Major pharmaceutical entities, healthcare institutions, hospitals, diagnostic establishments, personal protective equipment (PPE) producers - the majority are being powered by our generator sets. So now our service engineers are playing a very important role by ensuring that the system is running without any interruption," said Amin.

"We’re serving the most critical sector of this time period, healthcare, silently, like ‘quiet heroes.'”

Tareque Ahammod, chief marketing officer (CMO) of BanglaCAT, also acknowledged the extraordinary nature of the ongoing crisis but highlighted the company's resolve to work through it.

“Times like these haven’t appeared to us before, certainly not in our lifetimes and company’s history. At BanglaCAT, our management and our employees are paving the way for safety measures to ensure everyone remains safe and healthy, and our services can continue to help those who need it the most.”

BanglaCAT has transitioned many employees to work-from-home while still maintaining enough personnel at the sites to take care of the country’s major interests. The company is providing updated communications to employees to ensure the safest protocols are followed for the health and safety of its workforce.

“At a time when hospitals are overflowing, emergency vehicles are paramount and backup power is the difference between life and death. All BanglaCAT employees are here to stand by the promises we have made to the community - excellence, integrity, humility and leadership," said Tareque.

"While we maintain a safe environment for our employees, we will continue our duty to support the business-critical initiatives upon which we have staked our company's reputation.”

Since its inception, BanglaCAT has prided itself on the relationships it has built with its customers and the communities in which it operates.

As news started to develop regarding the spread of COVID-19, the company has taken the opportunity to assure everyone that they’re mindful of their health, safety and welfare during these challenging times.